Top TV Moments: Denny Miller

If Denny Miller had a specialty, it was playing guys who were wound a little too tight. 

Blonde and blue-eyed, 6’4, with a chiseled, muscular frame, Miller looked like the bruiser that skinny bookworms dreamed of becoming if they answered the Charles Atlas ad on the back of their Spiderman comic. 

That imposing physical presence helped him secure his breakthrough role as Tarzan in a 1959 film, followed by a compendium of television characters with names like Duke, Moose and Tank. 

He was a regular on the nostalgia and collector’s show circuits, enjoyed interacting with fans, and happily signed copies of his autobiography, amusingly titled Didn't You Used to Be...What's His Name? Those who met him said he was a jovial, laid-back, down to earth guy with a healthy streak of self-deprecation – the exact opposite of the brutes and lunkheads he often played.

Sadly, Miller passed away five years ago after a battle with ALS – a cruel fate for anyone but particularly for an actor renowned for his powerful physique. Thankfully, he left behind a rich legacy of roles from more than 40 years in the Comfort TV universe. Here are some of the most memorable.

Northwest Passage (1958)

Years ago I interviewed Dirk Blocker, son of Bonanza star Dan Blocker. He told me his dad was able to move to Hollywood and find work quickly, because there were dozens of westerns on TV in the 1950s, and they all needed “big guys to beat up.” Denny Miller fit that profile as well, so it’s not surprising that almost all of his early credits were westerns, including his first, in this short-lived frontier series set against the backdrop of the French and Indian War. The episode was entitled “Fight at the River.”

Wagon Train (1961)

Following guest spots on Riverboat, The Rifleman, Have Gun, Will Travel, Stagecoach West and Laramie, Miller landed steady work as Duke Shannon on the final three seasons of this long-running and underrated series. In more than 100 episodes Duke served as a faithful scout, helping to protect travelers from robbers and Indians and assorted renegades. 

Mona McCluskey (1965)

After three seasons on Wagon Train, Miller’s stock had risen enough to be cast in another series, albeit one very different from its predecessor. The only footage I could find online for this one-season situation comedy was its opening credits – and those were not encouraging. Interesting cast, though: glamorous dancer Juliet Prowse plays a wealthy Hollywood star who agrees to live within the paltry salary brought home by her military man husband, played by Miller. Sounds like a strained premise, but many shows have risen above such limitations. One day I’d like to find out if this is one of them. 

The Fugitive (1966)

The world is always hostile to Richard Kimble, and in “Approach With Care” it’s also hostile to Willie Turner, a huge man with the mentality of a child. On the run from the law he befriends Kimble while they both work at a traveling carnival, pitting the doctor’s desire to help against his self-preservation. Willie is atypical from the self-assured and headstrong characters Miller plays, and it’s also one of the more effective performances on his resume. 

Gilligan’s Island (1967)

Somehow Denny Miller came and left twice on this show while the castaways remained stranded. He is certainly best remembered as Tongo the Ape Man in “Our Vines Have Tender Apes.” 

It was a chance for Miller to send up his breakthrough role, and play the famous “Me Tarzan, you Jane” scene opposite Tina Louise as Ginger. 

I Dream of Jeannie (1970)

With just four episodes to go before the series finale, “Eternally Yours, Jeannie” revived the oft-used “Jeannie is jealous of one of Tony’s old girlfriends” plot. Here, Jeannie poses as Tony’s high school sweetheart, Bonnie Crenshaw, to test her master. And as they say, hijinks ensue. Miller plays Moose Murphy, Bonnie’s husband, who hopes to get a meeting with NASA out of the reunion so he can secure a sales contract. It’s nothing we haven’t seen before, but it’s energetically played and elevated by the guest spot of Miller in one of his god’s gift to women roles.

Gunsmoke (1971)

What makes “Lijah” work is Miller’s powerful work as the title character, a mountain man falsely accused of murder, and the tender relationship he develops with Rachel. the young girl who witnessed the murders, played by Erin Moran. This is my favorite of Miller’s dramatic TV roles. Not quite Emmy-level but pretty darn close.

The Brady Bunch (1973)

And this is my favorite performance from Miller’s sitcom appearances. “Quarterback Sneak” finds him barreling into the Brady home as Tank Gates, teenage sweetheart of Carol Brady, aka “Twinkles.” Mike’s reactions are particularly amusing as Carol is swept up by this case of arrested development in a ghastly two-tone leather jacket. Who hasn’t known a ‘Tank’ in their life – one of those guys that peaked in high school and is still boring everyone with stories of his gridiron heroics? 

Wonder Woman (1977)

“The Pied Piper” is a 1970s camp classic about idolized rock singer Hamlin Rule (played by…wait for it…Martin Mull!), who hypnotizes his female groupies into robbing the arena safe during his concerts. Eve Plumb plays one of his acolytes and Denny Miller costars as Rule’s bodyguard, Carl Schwartz (funny, he doesn’t look…). It’s a standard hired muscle role, though Miller spends much of his screen time dressed like Aladdin. And in one scene he challenges Wonder Woman to a fight – “Let’s see how strong you really are.” That doesn’t end well. 

The Rockford Files (1978)

Bearded Denny Miller is generally more menacing  than the non-bearded version, as evidenced by the two-part episode “Black Mirror.” Rockford has a meet-cute with a blind psychologist (Kathryn Harrold) who is being stalked and threatened. He figures it’s one of her patients, but medical ethics won’t let her discuss her cases. The premise is straight out of Wait Until Dark, though not as suspenseful. In one therapy session, Miller comes across as a guy with so many twisted anger issues that you’ll eliminate him right away as a too-obvious suspect. But will you be right?

Gorton’s Seafood Commercials

For more than a decade, Miller played the fisherman you can trust to steer your family toward the best fish sticks in your grocer’s freezer. Interesting classic TV trivia note: he was replaced in 2005 by Craig Littler, who played Jason in Jason of Star Command. 

Magnum P.I. (1982)

Nearly 25 years after his TV debut, Miller still cut an intimidating figure  In “Three Minus Two” he plays Ox, a building security guard who decks Magnum twice. Toss in Jill St. John, Beverly Garland and Hawaii, and who could ask for a better way to spend an hour?